The revelations of doping in world athletics by the Sunday Times in the UK and German broadcaster ARD/WDR portray a dark world similar to the troubles faced by professional cycling in recent years. Secret files kept by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) were passed to the media organization by a whistle-blower. The reports point to the conclusion that many leading athletes doped during the period 2001-12, that not enough was done to prevent this cheating, and that it may still be rife today.

The most striking claim was that a third of medals (146 in total) for endurance events at Olympic Games and world championships, including 55 golds, were awarded to athletes who were possibly doping. Ten of the medals won at the 2012 London Olympics were by athletes now under suspicion. Jessica Ennis-Hill, Denise Lewis, Kelly Sotherton, Jennifer Meadows, Andrew Baddeley and many others will feel cheated of medals, having all been beaten by athletes with reportedly suspicious blood results. Russia and Kenya are singled out by the reports as countries with particularly high numbers of suspects, while seven British athletes are reported to have had suspicious test results.

The claims were derived from blood samples collected as part of normal anti-doping measures. The science of blood testing has developed remarkably since 2000, prior to which anti-doping was primarily done by testing urine samples. Change was deemed necessary for several different reasons. Designer drugs emerged on the market that were produced to deliberately circumvent the tests. They would often mimic natural substances, making them very difficult to detect in urine.

Doping techniques were also getting more sophisticated as doctors understood how long it would take for a substance to be clear of an athlete’s system, and could judge when to use the drugs before the next possible test. They began using long continuous cycles of micro-dosing to keep analytical levels below the legal threshold. There was also increased use of blood transfusions – known in the trade as blood doping.

From the turn of the century, the authorities felt confident enough in the science to introduce new systems that collected blood and urine. These provided snapshots that would highlight variations over time, both in terms of the athlete’s history and what would be considered normal. By the latter years of the first decade of the 21st century this approach had matured into what came to be called the athlete biological passport, a state-of-the-art system that monitored a number of biomarkers purely from blood samples. When it was introduced into cycling in 2008, it led to 23 cyclists being identified as under suspicion. It has been behind every doping scandal to have hit the headlines since.

The IAAF, which looks likely to elect Lord Coe as its president in coming weeks, conducts approximately 3,500 blood tests every year both in and out of competitions. The Sunday Times exposé is based on the analysis of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes by two leading scientists in the field: Robin Parisotto and Michael Ashenden. From what is in the public domain, it is hard to dispute Parisotto’s statement that: “so many athletes appear to have been doping with impunity, and it is damning that the IAAF appears to have idly sat by and let this happen”.

The IAAF counters that prior to the introduction of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s operating guidelines in 2009, it did not have the authority to sanction athletes just on the basis of blood values. Its procedure was to investigate certain cases further through targeted urine testing. The association also rightly claims to have pursued numerous charges against athletes since 2009 using the biological passport system.

Though the IAAF has strongly rejected any suggestions that it was negligent, it remains unclear why it did not pursue those athletes that have now been identified as suspicious. It is possible that the association either dropped the cases or has yet to reach a decision on them due to either procedural difficulties or because of counter-explanations for the biomarker variations. The WADA guidelines allow for an expert panel to take into account any potential reasons that the athletes offers for a given variation – such as a particular medical conditions or exposure to altitude training. As things stand, the picture is not sufficiently clear.

So where does this leave us? These kinds of newspaper headlines obviously serve the useful function of highlighting areas of potential doping behavior and failings on the part of responsible authorities. Yet they are unlikely to lead to medals being revoked or any other historical sanction, something which has been fairly rare in sport across the board. It would take WADA’s intervention on a substantial scale or a major change in position from the IAAF – assuming wrongdoing is established. As things stand, WADA has announced an independent investigation into the claims, while the International Olympic Committee has said it will act with “zero tolerance” if the doping allegations are proven to be true.

In some ways, a media scandal might even prove counter-productive. Sports fans will be left with the feeling that recent major sports events were a fraud, and disappointed at the lack of immediate response from the international sports community. Fans might take heart from the idea that the athlete biological passport could prove a good deterrent to doping as potential users fear getting caught by a stringent system.

But unfortunately, history suggests the doping innovators are just as imaginative as the anti-doping scientists and will soon come up with some new form of undetectable cheating. It takes me back to an argument that I have made here before: it might be time to reconsider our approach to doping altogether.

Testimonials for Cold War Games

“Cold War Games is fast-paced, edgy and highly readable. Harry Blutstein crafts his gripping account with an impressive array of interviews, archival material and scholarship from across the globe. The result is a fascinating and accessible insight into a seminal moment in Olympic and Cold War history.” – Richard Mills, Lecturer in Modern European History, University of East Anglia

“It’s Olympic folklore that Melbourne in 1956 delivered the Friendly Games. Cold War Games provides us a sober reminder that beneath the surface of athletic excellence and adulating crowds, ran a hard-fought and intensive political confrontation between the Soviet and free world approach to sport. Harry Blutstein has meticulously researched this and the story is compelling – Kevan Gosper, 1956 Olympian and silver medal winner and former President of the Australian Olympic Federation

“Cold War Games is a fascinating account of the 1956 Olympics. I learned many interesting details about my teammates, leaders and various political figures in the political intrigues which occurred during and following the Olympic games in Melbourne.” – Miklós (Nick) Martin, water polo player who represented Hungary in the 1956 Olympic Games.

“Harry Blutstein’s study of the 1956 Olympic games is important not only for its detailed coverage of this understudied Cold War episode but also because it covers the games from the perspective of so many different participants. In this way, he elevates the story from a mere clash of ideologies and highlights the individuals caught up in a battle between East and West so enormous that even the world of sports was not immune to the passions and paranoia it spawned.” – Michael Krenn, professor of history and the chair of the department at Appalachian State University

Courage, fear, intrigue, brutality, generosity, love, hate, romance, humour, triumph and tragedy: they’re all here in this superbly crafted book about the intimate entanglement of politics and sport during the deepest freeze of the global cold war. Harry Blutstein’s Cold War Games makes a major contribution to the history of international sport and politics, and with writing about some titanic Olympic sporting battles and the athletes that fought them that will have you on the edge of your seat.” – Frank Bongiorno, Professor of History, The Australian National University

“This is a tale that is long overdue. Dr Blutstein’s well-researched history of the chicanery of the Soviets in Olympic competition is a compelling read. Every chapter indeed was a revelation of the lengths many nations will go to, to seek Olympic recognition. I’m sure that while a few of the machinations may be familiar to some, Dr Blutstein has uncovered a trove of material and blended it all into a most readable form. I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to read the book. History buffs will love it I’m sure. — Jon Henricks, Melbourne 1956 and Rome 1960 Swimming Dual Gold Medallist

“Cold War Games” is the most comprehensive book on sport politics that I have read and provides a rare insight into the way in which Olympic athletes became pawns in the battle between the USSR and the US during the Cold War. As one of the athletes who was in Melbourne and then sought asylum in the US, I would like to congratulate Dr Blutstein for bringing this untold story to a wide audience, capturing the mood and drama of traumatic days. Every sportsman and sport official should read this book. – Dániel Magay, gold medalist in the the sabre team competition in the 1956 Olympics

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